Amlwch Port - Porth Amlwch

Amlwch Port - Porth Amlwch is the most northerly town in Wales, located on the north coast of the Anglesey.

Amlwch grew rapidly in the 18th century as it is near what was then the world's biggest copper mine at the nearby Parys Mountain. By the late 18th century, Amlwch had a population of around 10,000 and was the second largest town in Wales after Merthyr Tydfil. The harbour was extended to accommodate the ships needed to transport the ore.

As the copper production declined, a wide variety of industrial activities were developed to take its place. Ship building, repair and other maritime industries was developed in the narrow harbour area and at other sites around the coast in the 1820s and grew as the railway opened in 1864, reducing the use of the harbour for copper and other goods by ship. The town was home to a brewing industry and also had tobacco works, producing the famous Amlwch Shag Tobacco Baco Shag Amlwch. By 1912, the main shipbuilding activities had declined.

In the 1970s, Amlwch had an offshore single point mooring, the Amlwch Oil Terminal, which was used to receive large oil tankers which were unsuitable for the Mersey. Reception tanks were located ashore and the oil was pumped from there to the refineries on the Manchester Ship Canal. The terminal closed in 1990.

Amlwch station was the northern terminus of the Anglesey Central Railway which was opened in 1864. It closed to passengers a hundred years later, but for the next 30 years was used by freight trains. In 1951 the Amlwch Octel bromide works installed an extension to the line from Amlwch station into their premises. freight trains bringing sulphuric acid in to the Octel works, and transporting Bromine and related products used in fuel additives, back to the main line, bound for Ellesmere Port.